About VTIFF

The Vermont International Film Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the community through film.

Our Vision

To be recognized as a premier showcase for quality cinema in the region.

To be a vibrant year-round hub and resource for the film community.

To provide a platform for the appreciation of film as an art form in its own right.

To foster an appreciation of theatrical exhibition as a way for the community to gather, enjoy, and exchange ideas.

To enhance respect for and a sophisticated understanding of world cultures and concerns.

The specific purposes of VTIFF are:

To fight for the recognition of cinema as an art form equal to other arts

To ensure that film culture becomes a vital part of the state’s cultural focus

To contribute to the creative economy * To present an annual “destination film festival” in the Burlington region that fosters a love and understanding of the art of film and related creative media; to provide a festive, educational atmosphere for its presentation; to celebrate films that showcase the extraordinary variety, vitality, dramas and adventures of people across the globe.

To serve the state and border communities by providing curated film programs and by partnering with other regional film festivals

To bring films to parts of the state that have little or no access to the best of independent film from around the world

To be active throughout the year by curating and presenting film series

To support groups interested in presenting specific film series

To partner with other film organizations to maximize resources

To create a place of connection for area filmmakers and with all disciplines of the art form to meet, share ideas and develop professional relationships

VTIFF Executive Director

Orly Yadin

Orly Yadin, Executive Director of VTIFF since Jan 2012, is a filmmaker and producer of both documentaries and animation films and series. Prior to making films, she was a film researcher on historical programs and since 2001 has been Managing Director of Footage Farm – an archival footage collection. Orly has also taught documentary film history and theory in universities in England and at Burlington College. In 1995 she co-founded and ran Halo Productions specializing in animation films. Many of Halo’s short films won international awards at festivals, and one, Silence, was short-listed for the Academy Awards. A Vermont resident since 2004 and a US citizen since 2010.
Photo: Christopher Green

VTIFF Board of Directors

Lorna-Kay Peal, President

Lorna-Kay Peal’s careers have included serving as a public school educator, as art museum curator in Cincinnati, OH, as executive director of SEABA in Burlington, VT, and chairperson of the Fleming Museum’s Advisory Board at the University of Vermont. She currently coordinates a literacy-mentoring program in two local school districts, and consults with small businesses and artists.

Luke Baynes, Secretary

A native of Pittsfield, Mass., Baynes is a 2003 graduate of the University of Vermont. After a stint in the Pacific Northwest, he returned to Vermont in 2005 and worked as a reporter on the Williston Observer. He is now a freelance reporter. A student of film since the age of 14, he has particular admiration for the films of Howard Hawks and Yasujiro Ozu. As part of his perpetual search for the American Dream, Luke has 47 states on his travel résumé.

Ben Rinehart, Treasurer

A bat biologist in a former life, Ben completed his doctoral work on tent-roosting bats in Ecuador, but has since transitioned to a career in finance. Three years ago, he moved with his family from Cambridge, MA to Burlington to work as an equities analyst for a Vermont-based socially responsible investment firm. Rinehart brings to the board a background in business and finance as well as a passion for (in no particular order) travel, film, skiing, music, food, and vintage guitars.

Anna Blackmer

Blackmer is a poet and teacher; she worked for many years at Burlington College as a faculty member and chair of arts and humanities. She has volunteered with the Vermont International Film Festival since 1998, and has a special interest in Cuban film and filmmakers. Blackmer oversees the Vermont Filmmakers’ Showcase™ in the festival.

Deb Ellis

Ellis is an award-winning filmmaker and educator and a professor in the Film and Television Studies Program at the University of Vermont. Her film Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was short-listed in the 2005 Academy Award feature documentary category. Recent work includes a documentary for the Vermont Arts Council 6 Vermont Artists, and a short experimental film Furies. As an independent producer, Ellis works with artists, education and arts organizations, and local non-profit organizations.

Eric Ford

Ford is currently the Communication Director at Burlington City Arts, where for the past 8 years in addition to his work roles, has regularly programmed contemporary film series. Ford is also the Co-Founder of the Burlington Film Society, which began in 2012. Eric attended the Maine College of Art and graduated with a BA in Communication from the University of Southern Maine. He lives in Westford, VT with his wife and daughter.

David Jenemann

David Jenemann is a professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Vermont and Co-Director of the UVM Humanities Center. He has published widely on film, television and intellectual and cultural history and has served as on the boards of the Bellwether School, Burlington American Little League, and the Burlington Cable Advisory Committee. When he’s not working, volunteering, or spending time with his family–and often when he is–he’s probably thinking about baseball.

Kevin Meehan

Kevin Meehan is an attorney with a lengthy career helping organizations in all areas of human capital strategy and program implementation. He has testified before the IRS , Department of Labor and committees of Congress on employee benefit programs legislation. Kevin served as an Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors of Watson Wyatt (now Towers Watson) where he was the Region Manager for North America operations. Kevin has also served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Management Consulting Firms. In 2009 he was selected as one of the two integration leaders for the merger of Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin. He retired from Towers Watson at the end of their 2010 fiscal year. Kevin has a history of supporting innovative organizations in the film industry.

Sherrill Musty

A transplanted Montrealer, Sherrill has lived in Burlington since the late ’60s. She has worked as a free-lance photographer, PR for Champlain Association for Retarded Citizens, Project Director of Humanities Council Grant and producer of audio-visual show, “From Charity to Rights”. Currently, she is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor and serves on the board of Burlington City Arts.

Paula Willoquet-Maricondi

Paula Willoquet-Maricondi is Dean of the Division of Communication and Creative Media at Champlain College. She has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature & Film Studies from Indiana University, and a MA in French from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the editor of Framing the World: Explorations in Ecocriticism and Film; Pedro Almodóvar: Interviews; and Peter Greenaway’s Postmodern/Poststructuralist Cinema. Prior to moving to Vermont in 2013, Paula taught film studies at Marist College in New York. She was born and raised in Brazil.